Cilantro-Lime Chicken Bowls with Peach Salsa is a colorful and vibrant weeknight dinner packed with protein, fruits, and a ton of flavor! It's great for meal prep, lunch, or just a simple meal to make for your family and friends. This delicious recipe takes only about 30 minutes to make!
30-Minute dinner
Cilantro-Lime Chicken Bowls with Peach Salsa is a simple weeknight meal that uses basic ingredients and takes only 30 minutes. This recipe screams Summer with fresh yellow peaches as the ingredient but at the same time can be made year-round with canned peaches! I seasoned sliced skinless, boneless chicken breasts with smoked paprika and chili powder and, once cooked, I then coated them with freshly squeezed lime juice, chopped fresh cilantro, and a touch of honey. It's a restaurant-quality dish that might become your new favorite chicken dinner for both kids and adults!
Chicken bowls with rice and peach salsa - a complete meal
Make this delicious and vibrant 30-minute chicken bowl on busy family weeknights or for special occasions when entertaining guests. This easy recipe is a well-balanced meal that has everything:
- Cilantro-lime chicken will provide you with protein.
- The fruit salsa (made with fresh peaches, bell peppers, red onions, and green onions) is packed with antioxidants and fiber.
- And then you have the carbs - jasmine rice. You can also use healthier carbs, such as quinoa.
If you're looking for more chicken dinner inspiration, don't miss my Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken with Brussels Sprouts or a simple Smoked Paprika Chicken with Creamed Spinach.
Main ingredients
Making chicken rice bowls basically consists of three parts. All you need are a few basic ingredients to turn plain chicken breasts into something flavorful, colorful, and delicious.
- Cilantro-lime chicken - I use skinless boneless chicken breasts (chicken thighs can be used as well).
- Peach salsa made with fresh fruit makes a perfect pairing with chicken. Use fresh yellow peaches in the Summer and canned ones year-round!
- Jasmine rice blends so well with cilantro-lime flavors and fresh fruit salsa!
What type of chicken to use?
- Skinless and boneless chicken breasts are what I used. They do tend to dry out faster, so be sure to watch your cooking times closely, ensuring that the chicken is cooked all the way through quickly, without drying out.
- Skinless and boneless chicken thighs are your next best choice! They are juicy and tender and are usually quite forgiving to cook. They will work perfectly in chicken rice bowls!
- Chicken tenders are also a perfect choice for this recipe. They are already sliced, so that saves you time. Make sure to avoid overcooking as chicken tenders cook fast.
Variations
- Use either lime juice or lemon juice. The most important thing is that it's freshly squeezed.
- Fresh herbs. Be sure to add fresh herbs - I used fresh cilantro here. You can also use fresh basil leaves or fresh thyme.
- Spice. Add some heat by sprinkling cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes over the ingredients.
- Substitutes for rice. You can serve these chicken bowls with pasta, orzo, couscous, or quinoa.
- Peaches. I used fresh yellow peaches since it's the Summer, but you can also use canned peaches (drained really well) or frozen ones (thawed) during other times of the year.
- Try a different fruit salsa such as mango salsa or pineapple salsa.
Storage & Reheating Instructions
- Fridge. Store it refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Reheat in the microwave oven in 30 seconds increments until reheated through. Make sure to separate the fruit salsa and reheat only the chicken and rice.
Serve with
- Rice. Serve cilantro-lime honey chicken with salsa over plain jasmine rice or wild rice. Or, make flavored rice, such as cilantro-lime rice, cilantro-lime rice with black beans, or sun-dried tomato basil rice.
- Pasta. I recommend long pasta, such as spaghetti, fettuccine, pappardelle, or bucatini.
- Cauliflower rice, roasted cauliflower, or mashed cauliflower are all great pairings with this chicken.
More Quick and Easy Chicken Recipes
Cilantro-Lime Chicken Bowls with Peach Salsa (30-Minute Meal)
Ingredients
Peach Salsa
- 3 yellow peaches medium size, pitted and diced
- 1 sweet red bell pepper diced
- ¼ cup red onion diced
- 3 green onions finely chopped
- ½ bunch cilantro chopped
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice or more
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder or more
- ¼ teaspoon salt or more to taste
Cilantro-Lime Honey Chicken
- 1 lb chicken breasts skinless, boneless, sliced
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (juice from ½ lime)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
Rice
- 2 cups cooked rice I used Jasmine rice
Garnish
- fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 lime sliced
Instructions
How to make peach salsa
- Note about peaches. Wash them thoroughly to get rid of any debris. There is no need to peel the peaches. Chop them carefully to keep the skin on.
- In a large mixing bowl combine all fruit salsa ingredients. Toss to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed. Add more lime juice and chili powder, if you like.
How to make cilantro-lime chicken
- Generously season the sliced chicken breasts with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and chili powder.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add sliced skinless boneless chicken breasts. Cook, undisturbed, for about 4 minutes, to let chicken sear.
- Flip the chicken strips over and cook for 2 more minutes. Lower the heat to low, add freshly squeezed lime juice and honey. Cook for another 2 minutes or more, frequently stirring, until the chicken is cooked through.
- Remove from heat. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet and stir, off heat, to coat the chicken. Stir in the chopped fresh cilantro.
Assembly
- Add cooked jasmine rice to the bowls. Spoon the peach salsa and the cilantro-lime honey chicken over the rice. Top with chopped fresh cilantro and fresh lime slices.
Notes
- Rice. Serve cilantro-lime honey chicken with salsa over plain jasmine rice or wild rice. Or, make flavored rice, such as cilantro-lime rice, cilantro-lime rice with black beans, or sun-dried tomato basil rice.
- Pasta. I recommend long pasta, such as spaghetti, fettuccine, pappardelle, or bucatini.
- Cauliflower rice, roasted cauliflower, or mashed cauliflower are all great pairings with this chicken.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I made this recipe with the sun dried tomato rice suggested. Oh my goodness was this so delicious! The sweet flavor of the peach, the tang of the lime and onion.. it all paired so perfectly together. Definitely will be making again!
Delicious. Have you tried using boneless chicken thighs? Would you prepare chicken the same?
Yes, you can 100% use skinless boneless chicken thighs here without making any changes!
This sounds really refreshing and a great summer meal! I believe I will grill the chicken instead of cooking it on the stove. I do have two questions.
1.In step 4 recipe says stir in chopped parsley but in ingredients there is no parsley listed only cilantro. Did you use both?
2. Also in step 4 it says to stir in the 2 TBSP of butter, but ingredients list calls for 1 TBSP?
Hi Jenny! I just reviewed the recipe, and it is 2 tablespoons of butter and I did use only cilantro. I fixed the inconsistencies - thank you for pointing them out to me! 🙂
Literally SO good and refreshing! Felt like I ate a clean, healthy meal. The only thing I did different was cook the peach salsa in the remaining juices of the chicken. SO good.
Thank you, Hayley, for your wonderful review! I’m so glad you loved this dish!
Loved this recipe. Made a few changes. Used mango salsa instead of peach. Family prefers mango. Used coconut water & a little coconut cream instead of chicken broth. Loved the chicken flavors. Thanks for your recipe.
Thank you, Sandie, for your review, so glad you enjoyed this! 🙂
Made this tonight! Wow! My son declared it the only chicken he ever wants to eat now!
I am so flattered, Christie! 🙂 🙂
3 teenagers and 2 adults loved it. Excellent flavor